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Croatia
Lucy Killick
Croatia is a beautiful country. Clouded by the memory of the war
between the Bosnians and Serbs there are still remnants of the war
which can still be seen in the centre of the country in the form
of burnt out houses and warning signs for minefields. I decided
however, to take my chances and visit this up and coming tourist
location.
 On
arriving in Pula the efficiency of the Croats amazed me; having
been told the airport has no computers and so everything is done
on paper and by hand I had expected chaos on arrival. In fact, our
baggage arrived and we were shipped off by bus before you could
say “Ne govorim hrvatski,” (I don’t speak Croatian.)
Arriving in Rabac (pronounced Rabatz)
in the middle of the night (the cheaper flights to Croatia often
arrive at odd times so beware when you book) was interesting; you
could hear the sea and bustle going on around you but you couldn’t
see any of it as it was pitch black! The temperature was warm on
the balmy evening but thankfully we were in a hotel with air conditioning;
this is not standard in Croatia.
Daytimes were filled with the beach,
swimming, shopping and day trips which are offered in abundance
from almost all of the costal resorts in Istria. We took a boat
trip to one of Croatia’s numerous islands, which provided
beautiful scenery and peaceful seclusion on one of the many small
beaches. Almost all beaches are pebble, rather than sand, which
means the water is crystal clear, but it is hard on one’s
feet! ‘Jelly’ shoes or sandals are to be recommended
highly! Also if you get chance, take the coach ride to nearby Slovenia
(a couple of hours further north) for rafting on the river which
forms the natural boarder between the two countries. The landscape
is stunning and the water so pure that it can be drunk it straight
from the river, and large fish can be seen as you raft past them.
As the staff at the rafting centre speaks patchy English it is worth
booking with a travel company who will provide translators, which
for us were essential and very knowledgeable of the local area.
 Rabac
resort was the most touristy part of Croatia we found. If you want
to stay off the beaten track however, try booking into a guest house
away from the established seaside resorts. Once you venture just
a mile inland from the coast suddenly you really are in Croatia,
where you might just find a typical Croatian restaurant. These are
often just a few tables in people’s house and usually you
will only find one dish on the menu! Don’t expect everyone
to speak English, although most shop-keepers in the touristy areas
will try, once you venture more than one mile inland English-speakers
become rare. I spent over thirty minutes trying to ask directions
to the bus station where I received only blank looks to my cries
of ‘BUS STATION?’ having shamelessly resorted to the
Englishman’s method of speaking a foreign language (slow and
loud!). Fortunately when very lost I was rescued by a friendly tourist
who managed to communicate with my pigeon German! Phrase book? Essential.
The pebble beaches tend to be commercialised with locals hiring
sun-loungers and umbrellas, but if you prefer space and quiet look
for a flat area of rock next to the sea; there are hundreds of these
with their own little steps to them creating a perfect private beach!
Tides and currents are not strong by the coast so diving straight
into the sea from these is perfectly safe, although bear in mind
that it is very rare for any resort to have a lifeguard service,
and if there is one the lifeguard is more likely to be in the bar
than on duty!
Local currency is the Kuna. Spending your money is difficult; one
couple at the hotel had to take half their spending money back to
the bank to re-change to UK Pounds as they found the shopping so
cheap! Prices certainly are low, with a large ice-cream selling
for 50 pence, and a pizza retailing for £2.50. By far the
biggest bargain we found was the wine bar near the harbour which
sold a marlo vino bieljo (large white wine) for just forty pence!
One piece of advice about money; if possible bring small notes and
large ones when you change your money as the less touristy shops
do not like being given large notes for small transactions and will
complain or serve you grudgingly.
 Pula
itself is well worth a visit if you have time; standing about an
hour away from Rabac it boasts numerous attractions for a cultural
day out. Visit the Roman amphitheatre, forum and Venetian defence
fort. The tourist office will provide you with a map showing a route
to encompass all the major attractions in one circular walk which
takes about two hours and covers everything you need to see! Take
time out though to wander the shady winding streets or spend some
time shopping.
Finally, look out for poster advertisements
for local entertainment nights. By chance we found ourselves in
the harbour for ‘Rabac Night,’ an evening of some traditional
(and some not so traditional!) entertainment acts. We had a fantastic
evening and were amazed at the hospitality of some of the local
people, translating everything for us so we could keep up with what
was going on.
Overall we had an amazing holiday,
great weather, beautiful scenery and plenty to do for the adventurous
and the not-so adventurous!
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